The scrape of metal sounds above my head. Someone’s breaking into my cage. This is it. Turns out, I can’t stomach the thought of staying curled in a corner for one more second. If this is the end, I’ll meet it head on. I twist my body so I’m in a semi crouch, my tail arched over my shoulder.
There, that’s better.
The top of my prison gets peeled back as if it were nothing more than a sheet of paper. I blink my eyes rapidly, not believing what I’m seeing. Lincoln stands beside the Earl of Striga. Yes. One of Lucas’s magic hula hoops holds of top my cage in the air. I exhale a relieved breath. “It’s you.”
“Myla!” Lincoln reaches forward and pulls me into his arms. “I thought Armageddon had gotten you with his spear.”
“He didn’t.”
Lincoln presses a pair of baculum into my hands. “You’ll need more than your tail for this fight.” A gleam shines in his eyes.
We’re going to battle demons again. Together.
I scan the Chapel. Dad and his angel buddies are taking it to Armageddon and his horde. Walker’s a marvel of speed as he slices the wings off a devil bat. Octavia and Connor have ignited their baculum to take down a pair of crini demons. Mom’s using her tail to cut through a knot of demonic serpents. Even Cissy’s using a candelabra to fight alongside Zeke as they turn an enchanted corpse into mush.
All in all, it’s a really touching scene. My entire extended family is here, killing demons and protecting the after-realms. Even better, the quasis and thrax are fighting side by side. I sniffle. This is one helluva battle. Too bad I have to miss it.
“Much as I’d love to fight with you, I need to work with my igni.”
“You can summon more of them?”
“Not more, necessarily. I’m pretty sure all the igni in the after-realms are already here. I need them to take a new shape, though. Lucifer’s coin set Armageddon free, but now that the King of Hell is here in Antrum? He and his buddies are fair game again for my powers.”
A slow smile rounds Lincoln’s mouth. “You’ll send them back to Hell. Perfect.”
“Yup. I need the igni to create a ton of soul columns.” That’s the form my little ones take when moving souls around. “I’ll send Armageddon and his buddies right back where they came from.”
“What about Lady Daria?”
“Good question.” I scan the scene, looking for the Lady Daria. She’s easy to spot, considering she’s still in a prison box with Aldred on the stage. Trouble is, their cage is surrounded by a huge group of manus demons. Not good. Manus are gorilla-like creatures with long fangs and a taste for blood. There can only be one reason why they’re on guard duty. Armageddon has decided to keep his word for once. He’s got the manus to make sure that the Earl of Acca stays safe. And Lady Daria is along for the ride.
I could try to move her anyway, but Lady Daria’s a greater demon. That would take a lot of supernatural juice. There’s no way I can send Armageddon back as well as his demon horde along with a second Greater Demon. Unlike Aldred, I know my limits.
I focus on Lincoln. “Lady Daria is protected from the fighting. I don’t see anyone battling their way to her any time soon. And I won’t have enough power to send her to Hell at the same time as Armageddon and his cronies.” A shiver moves up my spine. “Even if I do dismiss the King of Hell and his army, Lady Daria us staying right here. It will take time for all my igni to move so many bodies around. There won’t be any left to protect our wedding guests.”
“Meaning?”
“Once I start reforming the igni into soul columns, she’ll just freeze everyone again.”
Lincoln frowns. “How about asking the igni to protect only you, me, and a few top warriors? Maybe your father and Lucas.”
“I’ll try.” Unfortunately, the words come out as more of a question. “Even in the best of situations, my igni are tough to control. In fact, I’m amazed they’ve done this much. They really like making soul columns and not much else.”
Lincoln fixes me with a serious look. All the love and trust in the after-realms shines in his mismatched eyes. “You focus on moving your igni. I’ll guard you. Everything else will be fine.”
“But Lady Daria—”
“I’m not concerned about her. Your safety is far more important at the moment. Once you start summoning and commanding igni, you lose touch with your surroundings.” He ignites his baculum as a long sword. “I’ll be here through everything. And afterward, we’ll figure something out. We always do.”
I nibble on my thumbnail. “I don’t know.”
“Just focus on those igni.” Lincoln gets into battle stance. The light from his baculum sword casts flickering shadows on his handsome face. “I know you can do this.” The strong tones of his voice reverberate through me.
I straighten my shoulders. “You’re right.”
Lincoln winks. “That’s my Myla.”